We’ve all heard doctors say that sitting too long is bad for our health and we should move more during the day. However, what do you do when your job requires you to sit for six, seven, or eight hours daily? The team at Herman Miller took it upon themselves to solve this dilemma, and in 2009, their efforts gave birth to the Embody Chair.
The Herman Miller Embody chair is where function meets form to become a health-positive, therapeutic seating option that actually takes care of the body.
Here, we will discuss the innovative development of this chair and the key features that give it the ability to transform the way you sit.
Design Focused on Health
The Embody chair has a unique purpose: encouraging movement to improve circulation. Furthermore, this was to be achieved while maintaining postural equilibrium, i.e., the vertical alignment of our eyes with our hips when we are balanced upright, regardless of the curvature of the spine.
These design goals were no simple feature to achieve. Working with over 30 physicians and PhDs, Herman Miller manufactured numerous prototypes. Each was rigorously tested via laboratory experiments that studied the chair’s kinematics, pressure distribution, and posture alignments. These tests extended further to study the metabolic payoff of tasks while seated in this chair to determine which design features had actual health benefits.
Intelligent Fabrication
The Embody Chair’s upholstery is more than comfortable fabric. It is an innovative layering of four specialized pixelated materials to form an intricate pressure matrix that automatically conforms to micro-adjustments in your body as you move.
From backrest to seat, this dynamic support ensures your weight is effectively distributed at all times, discouraging pressure spots and improving circulation, giving you the sensation of floating. Furthermore, this four-layer fabrication is remarkably breathable, allowing air to flow throughout the chair to keep users cool while they work away. Additionally, this support can mold itself around various shapes, sizes, spines, and postures, making it an extremely versatile seating option.
BackFit Support
Taking inspiration from the human body, the backrest has a central spine with extending ribs that can be tuned to the spine’s natural curvature for a balanced, neutral posture from the sacrum and lumbar through to the upper thoracic.
Then as you move and shift, the backrest counters your movements, reducing spine compression and adjusting accordingly to keep your head and back properly aligned. No matter how much you lean forward, to the side, or recline back, there is constant support.
Tilt Technology
Herman Miller chairs are known for their unique tilt technology that keeps the body aligned and the pelvis stable as it moves naturally. The Embody Chair takes this a step further, providing three more zones of support with the pelvis, including the sacrum (sitting bones), thighs, and thorax. Even though there is no hindrance to natural movement, there is no spinal rotation or uncomfortable pressure on the arms and legs.
In Conclusion
The Embody Chair holds to the Herman Miller name with its ergonomic and practical design. However, what sets it apart is its remarkable health benefits that positively influence your health, even if you have to sit for long hours for a living. There is no question that the intelligent design of the Embody Chair makes it one of the smartest office chairs available today, so get yours from a reliable and reputable dealer like Madison Seating!
